the oedemeridae (coleoptera) of atlantic canada

J. Acad. Entomol. Soc. 7: 1-6 (2011)
NOTE
The Oedemeridae (Coleoptera) of Atlantic Canada
Christopher G. Majka and David Langor
Introduction
The Oedemeridae (false blister beetles) is a family of saproxylic beetles found throughout the world. In North America
there are 87 species in 17 genera (Kriska 2002). Campbell (1991) recorded 13 species in seven genera in Canada, including
two species in Atlantic Canada (New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island).
Adults are pollen feeders and are found on foliage and flowers, under driftwood, or in moist to wet rotten logs (Kriska
2002). There are three subfamilies: larval Calopodinae are found in rotting logs, stumps, and wood; larval Oedemerinae
are also found in rotting wood, in very moist environments; larval Nacerdinae are also found in wet rotting wood that is
typically buried or submerged intermittently in fresh or salt water (Kriska 2002). They derive their common name not
only from their superficial resemblance to some species of the Meloidae (the “true” blister beetles) but also because many
species possess the blistering agent cantharidin. Since most adults are soft-bodied flower feeders it is thought that they
employ this substance along with aposematic colouration to deter potential predators (Kriska 2002). The present study,
based on an examination of specimens in collections in Atlantic Canada, surveys the Oedemeridae fauna of this region.
Methods and Conventions
Specimens of Oedemeridae originating from Atlantic Canada from a variety of collections were examined
and identified. These collections yielded 302 specimens; 170 from Nova Scotia, 18 from New Brunswick, 14
from Prince Edward Island, 98 from Newfoundland and Labrador, and 2 from Saint-Pierre et Miquelon.
Abbreviations of collections (largely following Evenhuis 2009) referred to in the accounts below are:
ACNL
ACPE
DHWC
GSC
JOC
MTC
MUN
NBM
NSMC
NSNR
STFX
UPEI
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada
David H. Webster Collection, Kentville, Nova Scotia, Canada
Gary Selig Collection, Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, Canada
Jeffrey Ogden Collection, Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada
Martin Turgeon Collection, Saint-Basile, New Brunswick, Canada
Memorial University of Newfoundland Collection, St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada
(currently on long term loan to the Canadian Forest Service, Edmonton, Alberta)
New Brunswick Museum, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
Nova Scotia Museum, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources Insectary, Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia, Canada
Saint Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada
University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada
Received 16 December 2010. Accepted for publication 3 January 2011. Published on the Acadian Entomological Society website at www.acadianes.
ca/journal.html on 11 January 2011.
Christopher G. Majka1: Research Associate, Nova Scotia Museum, 1747 Summer Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia,
Canada.
David Langor: Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Northern Forestry Centre, 5320 - 122 St. NW,
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Corresponding author (email c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca).
1
© 2011 Acadian Entomological Society
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Majka & Langor / Journal of the Acadian Entomological Society 7 (2011): 1-6
Abbreviations employed: FIT, flight-intercept trap.
Identification
A key to species of Oedemeridae in Atlantic Canada (modified from Kriska 2002 and Arnett 1951) is provided below.
1. Antennae set in deep emargination of eyes (Calopodinae) (Fig. 1a).................Calopus angustus
– Antennae set in front of eyes; eyes emarginate or entire..................................................................2
2(1). Prothoracic tibiae each with a single apical spur (Nacerdinae) (Fig. 1b)...................................
..................................................................................................................................... Nacerdes melanura
– Prothoracic tibiae each with two apical spurs (Oedemerinae)........................................................3
3(2). Body stout and entirely black (Ditylini) (Fig. 1c)............................................ Ditylus caeruleus
– Body slender, never entirely black (Asclerini)...................................................................................4
4(3). Pronotum wholly red (Fig. 1d) ........................................................................... Asclera ruficollis
– Pronotum with a large, central black spot (Fig. 1e) ...........................................Asclera puncticollis
Figure 1. Dorsal habitus photograph of (a) Calopus angustus, (b) Nacerdes melanura, (c) Ditylus caeruleus, (d) Asclera ruficollis, (e) Asclera
puncticollis. Photo credit: Guy A. Hanley, Cyril Moore Science Center, Minot, North Dakota (a); Marcello Romano, Capaci, Italy (b); Tom
Murray, Groton, Massachusetts (c, d); John Maxwell, Marlton, New Jersey (e).
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
© 2011 Acadian Entomological Society
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Majka & Langor / Journal of the Acadian Entomological Society 7 (2011): 1-6
Results
As a result of an examination of specimens of
Oedemeridae originating in Atlantic Canada, eight new
jurisdictional (provincial/state) records are reported
including three species, Calopus angustus LeConte,
Ditylus caeruleus (Randall), and Asclera puncticollis
(Say), that are newly recorded in the region (Table 1).
Table 1. The Oedemeridae fauna of Atlantic Canada.
NB NS PE NL PM
Calopodinae
Calopus angustus LeConte
Nacerdinae
Nacerdes melanura (Linnaeus) †
QC, RI
Oedemerinae
Ditylini
Ditylus caeruleus (Randall)
1
1
1
1
1
1
Asclerini
Asclera puncticollis (Say)
Asclera ruficollis (Say)
Total
ME, NB, NH, NS, ON, QC
1
1
1
1
5
MA, ME, NB, NF, NH, NS, ON, PE, PM,
ME, NB, NF, NH, NS, NY, ON, QC
1
1
3
Distribution in NE North America
ME, NH, NS, NY, ON, QC
CT, MA, ME, NH, NS, NY, ON, QC, RI
1
2
1
Notes: †, adventive Palaearctic species; NB = New Brunswick; NS = Nova Scotia; PE = Prince Edward
Island; NL = Newfoundland and Labrador; PM = Saint-Pierre et Miquelon. Distribution in northeastern
North America: for the purposes of this treatment, northeastern North America is taken to consist of the
following jurisdictions: NF = insular Newfoundland; LB = Labrador; QC = Québec; ON = Ontario; CT =
Connecticut; MA = Massachusetts; ME = Maine; NH = New Hampshire; NY = New York; RI = Rhode
Island; and VT = Vermont.
light trap (1, NSMC); Lunenburg County: Bridgewater,
10-14 May 1965, B. Wright (1, NSMC); Martin River,
1 May 2006, A. White, FIT (1, NSNR); Pine Grove, 31
May 2004, P. Murphy, Pissodes trap (5, NSNR); Pictou
County: Lorne, 2-15 June 1997, D.J. Bishop, mature red
spruce-hemlock forest, FIT (1, NSMC); Queens County:
Liverpool, 15 May 2002, P. Colp, Pissodes trap (1, NSNR).
Calopus angustus is newly recorded in Atlantic Canada
from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia (Figure 1). Adults
(n = 34) were collected between 5 April and 16 June.
Numbers fluctuate over this time period; the data is
insufficient to determine when peak activity may occur.
Specimens in Nova Scotia were collected in red spruce
(Picea rubens Sarg.), eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis
(L.) Carr.) and white pine (Pinus strobus L.) (Pinaceae)
forests. Burke (1906) found larvae, pupae, and adults
in dead and living western cedar (Thuja plicata Don ex
D. Don) (Cupressaceae) and alpine fir (Abies balsamea
lasiocarpa (Hook)) (Pinaceae). Burke (1906) found that
larvae entered living trees through small wounds and
worked their way into the living tissues of the trees.
Figure 1. Distribution of Calopus angustus, Asclera puncticollis, and
Asclera ruficollis in Atlantic Canada.
Calopodinae
Calopus angustus LeConte, 1851
NEW BRUNSWICK: Madawaska County: East Iroquois
River, 7 May 2000, M. Turgeon (2, MTC); York County:
Charters Settlement, 5 April 1991, R.P. Webster (1, NBM);
Fredericton, 5 May 19__, R.P. Webster (1, NBM). NOVA
SCOTIA: Antigonish County: Beaver Mt., 19 May 1993,
E. Georgeson, FIT (1, NSNR); Beaver Mt., 8 June 2005,
J. Ogden, spruce beetle trap (1, NSNR); Cape George
Point, 25 May 1995, 9 June 1994, 16 June 1994, M. Leblanc,
funnel trap (3, NSNR); Crystal Cliffs, 5 May 2008, N.
MacDonald, under bark (1, STFX); Eigg Mt., 25 May 1995,
M. Leblanc, funnel trap (2, NSNR); Morar, 13 May 1993, 19
May 1993, M. Leblanc, funnel trap (6, NSNR); Colchester
County: Masstown, 19 May 1993, M. Leblanc (1, JOC);
Hants County: Leminster, 2-15 June 1997, D.J. Bishop, red
spruce-hemlock forest, FIT (1, NSMC); Mount Uniake, 19
May 1955, D.C. Ferguson (1, NSMC); Inverness County:
Margaree, 2 May 2000, I. Timmins (1, NSNR); Kings
County: Cambridge, 7 May 2007, D.H. Webster, white pine
forest (1, DHWC); Coldbrook, 7 June 2005, R. Williams,
FIT (1, NSNR); Sheffield, 5 May 1984, Agriculture Canada,
© 2011 Acadian Entomological Society
Nacerdinae
Nacerdes melanura (Linnaeus, 1758)
NEW BRUNSWICK: Saint John County: Saint John, 18 July
1901, 19 July 1901, July 190_, 7 February 1907, W. McIntosh
(4, NBM). NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR:
St. John’s, 20 July 1960, R. Morris (1, ACNL). PRINCE
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Majka & Langor / Journal of the Acadian Entomological Society 7 (2011): 1-6
EDWARD ISLAND: Prince County: Summerside, 3
June 1977, L.S. Thompson (5, ACPE); Queens County:
Charlottetown, 22 June 1981, G. Orlowsky, in flight (1,
UPEI); Charlottetown, 30 June 1982, L.S. Thompson,
in basement of building (6, ACPE); Charlottetown,
19 June 1985, L.S. Thompson, in building (1, ACPE);
Charlottetown, mid-July 1998, M.E.M Smith, in building
(1, ACPE). SAINT-PIERRE ET MIQUELON, FRANCE:
Saint-Pierre, 8 August 1982, D. Abraham (2, MUN).
Nacerdes melanura is newly recorded in Prince
Edward Island and Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, France. It
was recorded from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and
insular Newfoundland by Campbell (1991) (Figure 2).
Adults (n = 204) were collected between 2 April and
23 September with numbers reaching a peak in during
the last half of July and first half of August (Figure 3).
Figure 2. Distribution of Nacerdes melanura and Ditylus caeruleus
in Atlantic Canada.
North American record is from Indiana in 1830 (Say 1830).
Figure 3. Phenology of adult Nacerdes melanura in Atlantic Canada.
NOTE: The vertical axis represents the number of specimens; the
horizontal axis indicates successive weeks of the year, from the first
week of April to the fourth week of September.
Oedemerinae
Ditylini
Ditylus caeruleus (Randall, 1838)
Known as the wharf borer, this adventive Palaearctic
beetle is now cosmopolitan in distribution (Kriska 2002).
It is widespread in North America in coastal areas and
along major rivers from Texas to insular Newfoundland
and on the Pacific coast from British Columbia south
to California (Arnett 1991; Campbell 1991). The larvae
feed on wet decomposing wood such as wharf pilings or
driftwood and are capable of withstanding immersion
by tides (Arnett 1951). In the Maritime Provinces many
specimens have also been collected in basements of
buildings where they feed on decomposing wooden sills.
The earliest dates of detection are: New Brunswick – 1901;
Nova Scotia – 1869 (Jones 1869); Prince Edward Island
– 1977; Newfoundland and Labrador – 1960. The earliest
© 2011 Acadian Entomological Society
NEW BRUNSWICK: Saint John County: Saint John,
26 May 1901, 23 June 1901, W. McIntosh (4, NBM).
NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR: Cox Lake near
Badger, 26 June 1980, Brennan and Larson (1, MUN).
NOVA SCOTIA: Cumberland County: Amherst, 20
June 1993, J. Ogden (1, JOC); Chignecto, 20 June 1993, 23
June 1993, E. Georgeson, light trap (2, NSNR); Halifax
County: Elderbank, 6 June 1996, E. Georgeson, aerial
net (1, NSNR); Hants County: Monte Vista, 17 June
1967, K.A. Neil (1, NSMC); South Maitland, Hayes Cave,
24 May 1978, B. Wright (1, NSMC); Kings County:
Kentville, 2 June 2000, D.H. Webster, on Robinia
pseudoacacia leaves (1, DHWC); Queens County:
Caledonia, 6 May 2008, S. Sorowka, on rock (1, STFX).
Ditylus caeruleus is newly recorded in Atlantic Canada from
New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and insular Newfoundland
(Figure 2). Adults (n = 13) were collected between 6 May
and 26 June; the data is insufficient to determine when peak
activity may occur. Young (1990) observed adults among
shoreline beach drift. Larvae have been found in old, wet
cedar logs and may take up to three years to mature. Adults
have been observed on swamp ground, under wet logs,
and on flowers of Spiraea sp. (Rosaceae) (Kriska 2002).
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Majka & Langor / Journal of the Acadian Entomological Society 7 (2011): 1-6
Figure 3. Phenology of adult Oedemeridae in Atlantic Canada. NOTE: The vertical axis represents the number of specimens; the horizontal
axis indicates successive weeks of the year, from the fourth week of April to the first week of July.
Asclerini
Asclera puncticollis (Say, 1823)
NOVA SCOTIA: Cumberland County: Oxford, 15 June
2000, K. Black (1, JOC); Kings County: Kentville, 26 April
1996, D.H. Webster, mating on Salix sp. (2, DHWC); Kentville,
9 June 2002, D.H. Webster, on leaf (1, DHWC); Lunenburg
County: Bridgewater, 19 June 1996, G.D. Selig (1, GSC).
Asclera puncticollis is newly recorded in Atlantic Canada
from Nova Scotia (Figure 1.). In Nova Scotia one pair
was collected mating on willow (Salix sp.). Adults (n
= 5) were collected between 26 April and 19 June; the
data is insufficient to determine when peak activity may
occur. Adults have been found on cherries and plums
(Prunus spp.) (Rosaceae) and other spring flowers
(Downie and Arnett 1996; Arnett 2005). In Manitoba
larvae collected under the bark of box elder (Acer negundo
L., Aceraceae) were reared to adult (D. Pollock, Eastern
New Mexico University, personal communication).
Asclera ruficollis (Say, 1823)
Asclera ruficollis was recorded in Atlantic Canada from
Nova Scotia by Campbell (1991) (Figure 1). Adults (n =
27) were collected between 4 May and 22 June. Numbers
fluctuate over this time period; the data is insufficient to
© 2011 Acadian Entomological Society
determine when peak activity may occur. In Nova Scotia
all the specimens for which there is habitat data have
been collected in deciduous forests and adults have been
found on willow (Salix sp.) (Salicaceae) catkins, and on
pin cherry (Prunus pennsylvanica L.f.) (Rosaceae) and
Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius (L.) Link) (Fabaceae)
flowers. Elsewhere adults have been reported on dog’s
tooth violet (Erythronium americanum Ker-Gawler)
(Liliaceae), pussy willow (Salix discolor Muhl.), wild
pear (Amelanchier canadensis (L.) Medik.)., hawthorn
(Crataegus spp.), choke cherry (Prunus virginiana L.)
(Rosaceae), black haw (Viburnum prunifolium L.), hobble
bush (Viburnum alnifolium Marsh.) (Caprifoliaceae),
and Thalictrum pubescens Pursh (Ranunculaceae)
(Lovell 1915; Arnett 1951; Downie and Arnett 1996).
Discussion
As a result of the present investigation, the known
oedemerid fauna of Atlantic Canada has been increased
from two species to five and the number of jurisdictional
(Provincial/State) records to twelve from four. The most
abundant and widely distributed species is the adventive N.
melanura, which appears to be found throughout the region
(although records from northern New Brunswick are
lacking) (Figure 2), particularly in coastal habitats. Although
first recorded in region in 1869 (and in North America in
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Majka & Langor / Journal of the Acadian Entomological Society 7 (2011): 1-6
1830), it is probable that this species has been present for
substantially longer given how abundant and widespread it
is, particularly in coastal areas in eastern North America.
Calopus angustus appears to be widely distributed in New
Brunswick and Nova Scotia (Figure 1). Ditylus caeruleus is
widely distributed in southern New Brunswick and Nova
Scotia, and its range extends to central Newfoundland
(Figure 2). Asclera ruficollis is widely distributed in Nova
Scotia, both on the mainland of the province and on
Cape Breton Island (Figure 1), while the less frequently
encountered Asclera puncticollis is newly recorded from
several sites in central mainland Nova Scotia (Figure 1).
Although neither species of Asclera have been recorded
from New Brunswick, this is in all probability a result of
insufficient collecting effort. Both species are found in both
neighbouring jurisdictions of Québec and Maine (Table 1)
and would be expected to occur in New Brunswick. The
absence of native oedemerids in Prince Edward Island may
be a result of its insular location, insufficient collecting effort,
the extensive clearing and disturbance of forested habitats
there (Majka 2010) or a combination of these factors.
Acknowledgements
Sincere thanks are extended to Søren Bondrup-Nielsen
(Acadia University), Peggy Dixon and Carolyn Parson
(Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, St. John’s, NL),
Susan Westby (formerly with Agriculture and Agri-Food
Canada, Kentville, NS), Christine Noronha and Mary
Smith (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Charlottetown,
PE), David McCorquodale (Cape Breton University), Joyce
Cook and DeLancey Bishop (Carleton University), Donald
McAlpine (New Brunswick Museum), Jeff Ogden (Nova
Scotia Department of Natural Resources), Jean Pierre Le
Blanc (formerly at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College),
Randy Lauff (St. Francis Xavier University), Gaétan
Moreau and Pauline Duerr (Université de Moncton),
Donna Giberson (University of Prince Edward Island),
Erica Burke, Gary Selig, Martin Turgeon, Reginald P.
Webster, and David Webster for providing specimens
and information that contributed to this study. Sincere
thanks to Guy A. Hanley, John Maxwell, Tom Murray,
and Marcello Romano for contributing photographs
of oedemerids; and to Nadine Kiriska (University of
Wisconsin) and Darren Pollock (Eastern New Mexico
University) who read an earlier version of the manuscript
and contributed many constructive suggestions. The first
author thanks David Christianson, Calum Ewing, and
Andrew Hebda at the Nova Scotia Museum for continuing
© 2011 Acadian Entomological Society
support and encouragement. This work has been assisted
by the Board of Governors of the Nova Scotia Museum.
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